[FDJ]Chapter 19: Hun Camp

"Master, there's a strangely dressed magus approaching the camp with a female Servant."

The silhouette was reflected in the muddy puddle, and the true form of the Servant was nearby, but they seemed hesitant to enter the camp.

"I understand. Continue observing them, but be careful not to expose yourself."

The person conversing with the shadow was wrapped in heavy linen clothing. If they didn't speak, it would be difficult for the nearby Hun soldiers on patrol to notice them.

"I remember you mentioning that the male swordsman who appeared in the city of Orleans was a Saber-class Servant. So, it's unusual for a female swordsman to appear today."

The shadow wanted to caution their Master, but the latter didn't delve further into this question. They were pressed for time.

"They must be coming for our king. You stay hidden and gather intelligence outside the camp. I will handle the intelligence within the camp."

"Understood."

The shadow gradually faded away, and the mysterious figure hidden in the muddy woods also vanished, using some form of magecraft, leaving no trace.

--*--

Guided by the Hun soldiers, Suzuki and Jeanne arrived relatively smoothly at the camp of the Hun army, which was technically just a temporary camp. Ten days ago, the Hun forces launched a strong attack on the city of Orleans. Just before breaching the city, a cavalry unit from the Western Roman Empire arrived, accompanied by a significant number of lightly armed Roman infantry. The Huns immediately abandoned the city of Orleans and chose to retreat, avoiding a confrontation with the large army of the Western Roman Empire under ill-prepared conditions. The two armies maneuvered and remained deadlocked until today.

A river lay before the camp, and the Hun soldiers allowed their horses to drink from its banks. Upon realizing they were being pursued by Frankish cavalry, they willingly abandoned their horses and fled into the village with their comrades.

Suzuki and Jeanne were able to ride horses, and as for the unfortunate deceased comrade of the Hun soldier, they buried the body in the muddy ground before leaving the village, and Jeanne prayed for them. In the name of claiming a bounty, the two of them went to the Hun camp, and they didn't resort to violence to coerce the Hun soldier.

In reality, the Hun soldier could also see that if he didn't bring Suzuki and Jeanne to the Hunn camp, there would be an additional person in the dug-up pit.

"Great Shaman, rest assured, we Huns are generous children of heaven. Please follow me. As you can see, the heavily guarded camp ahead is our main camp." The Hun soldier was not worried about his three horses running away after drinking water. These warhorses had undergone systematic training and wouldn't run amok.

Suzuki didn't know how to ride a horse, so throughout the journey, Jeanne and he shared a horse. Even though Jeanne deliberately slowed down, it still made Suzuki dismount near the riverbank and nearly vomit.

"In the era where I come from, are there alternative means of transportation instead of horses?" Jeanne dismounted and kept observing the watchtowers by the river. Each one was manned by soldiers with bows, and she didn't fully trust the Hun soldier, ready to draw her sword to protect her Master from danger at any moment.

After Suzuki recovered, he ran a few steps and caught up with the Hun soldier and his Servant. "Perhaps you can't imagine, but in the era I come from, horse riding is merely a nostalgic pastime."

"Well, you'd better adapt a little. I don't think you'll be able to ride as leisurely as you did today on your next horseback journey." Jeanne's smile was extremely affable, and it was the only hint of gentleness in her demeanor. The rest of the time, she armed herself with a calm and composed expression.

When they crossed the wooden bridge and reached a position less than 200 meters from the main camp, a patrol of mounted soldiers immediately approached them with a "welcome." Before the Hun soldier crossed the river, he had already signaled his intention to the sentinels on the other side. Otherwise, the sentinels wouldn't have allowed them to cross the river, and it wouldn't have been a group of patrols that appeared to be without hostility coming to welcome them.

"Are you the only one who returned alive?"

"Yes, I would have died at the hands of the enemy if these two travelers hadn't saved me."

After a brief explanation by the Hun soldier, the patrol immediately became the guides for Suzuki and Jeanne. They were a well-organized military unit, with the scouts performing their scouting duties and the patrol responsible for receiving "foreigners."

"I've never encountered foreigners who came directly to our main camp to claim a reward before." The captain of the patrol formally led Suzuki and Jeanne into the main camp, and his behavior did not match Suzuki's perception of barbaric tribes. Suzuki was worried that the situation would turn sour as soon as he entered the camp.

Jeanne, who accompanied Suzuki, did not look around like him because doing so would make her appear more like a spy gathering intelligence. However, she did not stop her Master's disrespectful behavior. It was because causing a commotion would allow them to meet the Hun king more quickly and gain information about the area more conveniently through him.

Not even three minutes after they started walking, the dismounted captain of the patrol, seeing Suzuki still observing the spear-wielding soldiers in training, became somewhat angry and stopped, shouting at Suzuki, "Foreigner, I suggest you look ahead, just like your companion. We Huns are not a hospitable people."

Jeanne's behavior also made the captain of the patrol very cautious. Firstly, her heavy full-body armor was something he had never seen before, not even on wealthy Roman generals. Secondly, just having this female swordsman following behind him made him feel pressured. In comparison, the captain of the patrol seemed like a second-rate stable hand, escorting a general inspecting the camp.

If it weren't for the king sending word in advance to treat these two foreigners well, he would have certainly gathered soldiers to apprehend them. The king's command was a divine command, unquestionable, and without the need for further inquiry. It was common knowledge in the camp to unconditionally follow these orders. Those who didn't adhere to this common knowledge had long been buried alongside the king's brother, Bleda.

Jeanne couldn't find a suitable reason to stir up chaos, so she had already decided that when they received the reward, she would provoke conflicts by claiming it wasn't up to standard or something similar. She possessed the contemporary knowledge granted by the Holy Grail, and the Hun people inside it were not as easy to deal with as they appeared.

However, someone solved this annoyance for Jeanne without the need to nitpick or find reasons. An arrow flew towards Jeanne, propelled by the wind. Its speed was so fast that Suzuki noticed it only when the arrow had already struck the wooden fence behind Jeanne.

The captain of the patrol was even more shocked than Suzuki. He wanted to shout that they were under attack but turned his head to look around and didn't see any sign of the enemy. On the contrary, the nearby Hun soldiers were also puzzled about why an arrow had been shot.

"Everyone, step aside!"

A bowman wearing a green animal skin skirt quickly leaped over the fence. It was originally designed as a defense against cavalry charges, and horses shouldn't have been able to jump over it. Before the bowman landed, they rapidly shot a second arrow, aimed at Jeanne, but Jeanne easily evaded it.

"She is..." Suzuki could roughly make out the bowman's attire from a distance of 100 meters. He couldn't see their face clearly but could confirm that the bowman was a woman. The displayed level of skill was far from that of an ordinary person. The hairstyle resembling cat ears puzzled Suzuki. He couldn't imagine an Archer-class Servant associated with cats.

"Archer? To encounter another Servant inside the Hun camp, we've truly come to the right place." Jeanne calmly drew her sword, and the sharp blade made the surrounding Hun soldiers envious. This sword was undoubtedly the second most magnificent treasure they had ever seen.

"Are you planning to fight me here, Archer, by shooting directly at me?" Jeanne wasn't afraid of a mere archer with hunting characteristics. She was confident that she could close the distance of 100 meters and defeat the audacious Archer who had revealed themselves.

Archer still aimed her bow and arrow at Jeanne. The emerald green arrow gathered once again on the bowstring, ready to be released at any moment.

In the blink of an eye, Jeanne dashed forward for more than 30 meters and midway swung her sword to cut off the arrow that was shot at her.

The extremely fast fourth arrow came without warning. Suzuki could be certain that he had only seen the bowman shoot one arrow, and his own Servant had deflected that emerald green arrow. However, another arrow struck Jeanne's armor, leaving a small hole on the surface of her thick plate armor.

"Arrogant Saint, I'm not clear about your intentions, but you'd better leave immediately. If what you hold is not a sword but a flag, I would know your true name from the moment I laid eyes on you," Archer said, drawing the bowstring of the celestial bow, formally indicating hostility towards Jeanne. However, she was unaware that she had misspoken.

"A flag? A flag? Don't even mention that worthless thing in front of me!" Jeanne's expression turned ferocious. She was provoked by Archer. Like Archer, she hadn't been serious earlier, and in the blink of an eye, she closed the remaining distance of less than 70 meters. Before Archer could react defensively, Jeanne crashed into her, sending her body several meters away. She collided with the fence, breaking several wooden stakes that held it in place.

The sword of Saint Catherine landed less than 10 centimeters above Archer's head, gleaming in the sunlight. "Arrogance? It seems that it is you who is too arrogant at the moment, daring to engage in combat with Saber while revealing yourself at a distance of 100 meters."

Archer was unharmed, but the sword was already pressed against her head, which made her feel ashamed. If a male had made this move against her, she would have torn him to pieces and fed him to wild boars.

At the right moment, someone stepped forward to stop the two Servants from continuing their fight. The King's messenger arrived just in time, and Jeanne cooperatively sheathed her sword and helped Archer up from the ground.

"Don't misunderstand, I just came to cause trouble."

"I can see that. Next time, make sure to wear your helmet, Jeanne."

The surrounding Hun soldiers treated this battle as routine training. When the King trained with the skilled archer, it would often create such a commotion. This time, she only damaged a fence, and the confrontation ended in less than ten exchanges. It left the soldiers feeling unsatisfied.

"Our great King awaits the two esteemed guests in the largest tent, and he has prepared drinks and roasted meat." The messenger was a tall man, but his tone when mentioning the King was sincere as if he were talking about his ruler, a god within reach.

Suzuki looked towards the large tent indicated by the messenger. A massive totem of animal horns hung high above the tent, undoubtedly indicating that the person seated inside was the highest commander of this Hun army.

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